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The action moves to Sakhir and the Bahrain International Circuit, for round two of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship. As is to be expected, a permanent circuit carved into desert rock provides a very different racing experience to the park roads of suburban Melbourne. While not renowned as a power track, the four straights of the Bahrain International Circuit do place greater demands on the power units than those experienced two weeks ago. The short straights also contribute to the stop-start nature of the layout, which places a heavy burden on brakes. Allied to this, engineers and drivers will also have to pay particular attention to the traction demands in Bahrain. Lacking the flow of other circuits, comparatively big lap time gains are to be found in getting the power down early out of the low-speed corners. Car set-up is a delicate compromise between straight-line speed and slow-corner grip, and special consideration has to be given to cooling because this is the first hot race of the year. The track isn’t used much during the year and when you combine that fact with the circuit’s desert location, grip levels can be very low early in the weekend. The asphalt is initially very dusty and slippery, but lap times improve dramatically once the cars start to circulate. Run-offs are substantial on this track, which is why track limits are a factor here. At no point around the racetrack is a driver permitted to place all four wheels beyond the white lines lining the edge of the asphalt, or they risk punishment from the FIA.

This is the third Bahrain Grand Prix to be run as a night race. It is one of three races to be held under floodlights in 2016, alongside Singapore and Abu Dhabi.



Here is some trivia on the lighting system.

• 495 light poles erected along the track
• Each pole 10 to 45 meters in height
• 5,000 luminaries
• 500km of cabling
• Provides light necessary for HDTV broadcasting

CIRCUIT CHARACTERISTICS:

The track itself was built in the desert which poses problems never before encountered in the F1 world. Sand blowing across the circuit greatly reduces grip, especially at the beginning of the weekend while the track surface rubbers in. When the race was first run there were fears that the sand would clog the cars’ delicate gearboxes and that nobody would make it to the finish. Thankfully this did not transpire and the fantastic spectacle lives on.



STATS:

Circuit length : 5.412km/3.363-mile (11th longest track of the year)

Total race distance: 308.238km, 57 laps (full world championship points will be awarded after 75 per cent distance/43 laps)

Distance to Turn One : 400m/0.249 miles

Longest straight : 1.09km/0.677 miles

Top speed : 335km/h/208mph, on the approach to Turn One

Pitlane length : 420m/0.261 miles, estimated time loss 21s

Full throttle : 64 per cent approx..

DRS zones : Two, on the approaches to Turns One and 11

Fastest corner : 185km/h (115mph), Turn 13

Slowest corner : 80km/h (50mph), Turn 10

Fuel consumption : 1.8kg per lap approx., making it one of the most fuel-critical races of the season.

ERS demands : Medium

Brake wear : High. There are eight big stops from high speed, the biggest coming at Turns One and 14

Grip levels: Low.

Gear changes : 52 per lap /2964 per race

Safety Car likelihood 20 per cent, which is low. There have been only two Safety Car deployments in the history of the race, most recently in 2014.

Brakes:

The races on the Sakhir track, surrounded by the desert, are characterized by high temperatures that increase mechanical grip and make it difficult to dissipate the heat generated during braking. This aspect, combined with the presence of numerous high energy braking sections which are quite close together, makes Sakhir a hard test bench for all the braking system components which are continuously stressed by the high energy forces and the hellishly hot temperatures. If the drivers want to finish the race, the high wear of the friction material is the biggest danger that must be avoided.

Tyres:

For the second race in a row, Pirelli brings the medium, soft and supersoft compounds, with the medium and soft tyres being the mandated race sets (each driver must have both these sets available for the race, and must use at least one of them during a dry race). The supersoft tyre provides something of a wildcard this weekend, never having previously been raced at the Bahrain International Circuit. The 18:00 start time means that track temperatures fall dramatically as the race goes on. The granite-based asphalt is rough and abrasive, which increases tyre wear. Sand can often blow onto the surface from the surrounding desert, affecting grip. There are a number of slow corners where good traction is crucial, so the track is rear-limited. At the same time, there are four fast straights, so a versatile compromise set-up is required. Compared to Australia, discretionary tyre choices for Bahrain show greater variety between teams but less divergence between team-mates.



PAUL HEMBERY, PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR:
“The new tyre regulations for 2016 proved to be a big success, providing many different strategy options and talking points for all the teams in Australia. Bahrain is a very different type of circuit, with tyre behaviour affected by a big drop in temperature as the race goes on. This provides a different set of challenges and parameters, so it will be interesting to see who has learned most from Australia in order to take best advantage of another new situation. There are some quite diverse choices from the teams, which will play a key role in the race outcome.”

Ferrari have chosen three sets of the medium tyre each compared to one for the Mercedes duo. This means that we might see Ferrari strap on a set in practice with heavy fuel to determine how long they will last. They could attempt a one stop strategy as Mercedes did in Australia, or possibly run the mediums early on with a second late stop to have the supersoft for battling at the end.
The number of supersoft tyre sets available is likely to once again influence the elimination qualifying format, the different allocations may have considerable significance for the grid order. Manor going into the weekend with four sets of the red-banded compound; Sauber and Toro Rosso have five; Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Force India and McLaren choose six, leaving Williams, Renault and Haas with seven.

Weather Forecast:



What should be one of the simpler forecasts of the season is complicated slightly by an area of low pressure over Iran, producing some gusty winds from the NNW and resulting in cloud across the Arabian peninsula. Friday will be partly to mostly cloudy throughout the day as a result, with 15-25mph winds from the NNW, strongest after midday, and a high of 23°C (74°F). There is a 30% chance of rain in the evening hours of Thursday, but with an overnight low of 18°C this is unlikely to stick around for long enough to affect Fridays's running. Chance of rain for Friday is 10%, most probably around midday if at all, and therefore not likely to mean much except perhaps a less dusty track than is normal for FP1 here.

Saturday is much the same to start, albeit with skies having cleared in the early hours allowing highs to reach around 25°C (77°F), falling to around 22°C by the time qualifying starts, with the winds also having dropped to around 10-15mph and shifted around slightly to the WNW. Sunday will be the best of the three days, highs reaching 26°C (79°F) in the afternoon but again closer to 22°C by race start, with some patchy cloud building in late in the day and winds at 5-10mph from the NNE. Chance of rain for both days currently stands at 0%, although it should be noted that the last week has seen at least some rainfall across much of the region.

Trivia:

Bahrain has proved to be a good barometer of championship pedigree. On eight occasions the winner of this race has gone on to win the Drivers’ Championship and on ten occasions the victorious team has lifted the Constructors’ Championship at the end of the year.

Pole position hasn’t proved especially relevant in Bahrain with only five of the 11 races won from P1. The race, however, has never been won from lower than fourth place on the grid – though Kimi Räikkönen did finish on the podium (P3) in 2006 having started 22nd and last.

Last year the Ferraris gave the Mercedes a headache in Bahrain as they struggled to keep the Scuderia at arms length. Raikkonen drove an excellent race on an alternative strategy to the Mercedes. By bolting on the softer, faster tyres in the final stint he put himself into play to fight for the podium positions. He pressured Rosberg who made it easy for him to pass as he ran wide, opening the door for the Finn to chase down Hamilton’s lead. He came within a couple of laps of getting the job done and it was fantastic to see Ferrari employing good strategic calls in an attempt to take the fight to the Silver Arrows. With the showing in Australia last time out, let’s see if Ferrari can do something similar again.

2015 winner : Lewis Hamilton, 57 laps, 1:35:05.809s

2015 pole position : Lewis Hamilton, 1m32.571s

2015 fastest lap : Kimi Räikkönen 1m36.311s (lap 42)

What to expect in 2016?

Nico Rosberg comes to Bahrain having taken the young season’s first victory in Australia. The dry statistics from Albert Park detail another dominant Mercedes 1-2 finish but, amid the complexities of an exciting season-opener, its rivals will have drawn encouragement from the very close battles on track. It sets the scene perfectly for a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen was going very well in Australia until the airbox fire. He usually delivers in Bahrain, with three second place finishes in the last four years driving inferior machinery.

The Mercedes may be difficult to catch though, as their pace on the medium tyre in Australia was incredibly impressive. Rosberg on mediums managed to keep up with Vettel despite the latter being on the supersoft tyres.

We have seen many entertaining races at the Bahrain International Circuit, the race in 2014 between Lewis and Nico being one of the highlights. Prior to that Bahrain has been a happy hunting ground for Ferrari, with four victories and three 1-2 finishes.

Constructors' Championship:



Drivers' Championship:



Drivers press conference:

https://youtu.be/Mg45KL_ifqA

Live Timing (IST) :



Latest news:

Following an examination at the Sakhir circuit on Thursday morning it was decided that ALO had not recovered sufficiently following his crash in Australia to compete.

“Two sets of chest CT scans were compared and it was decided that there was insufficient resolution of the signs to allow him to compete on safety grounds,” read an FIA statement.

“A repeat chest scan has been requested before the Chinese Grand Prix and the results will be considered before allowing him to race there.”

The news means that McLaren reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne will make his Grand Prix debut this weekend, replacing Alonso.

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TEAM REVIEWS :

Manor

Pascal Wehrlein

"Melbourne was amazing. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of lining up on the grid for the first time and taking the chequered flag at the end of your first Grand Prix. They are special memories for sure. As a team we learned a lot in Melbourne. Qualifying didn't work out well for us and as we have the same format here in Bahrain we need to put those lessons into practice. We still have a way to go with optimising the set-up to counter the tyre degradation problems we experienced in the second half of the race. It was a good start, but there's a lot of room for improvement in every area, including me.

"My first F1 night race will be fun and it's really cool to have that experience so early in my F1 career. I'm sure the circuit will feel spectacular to drive under the lights. I can't wait."

Rio Haryanto

"My debut was an incredible experience and one I'd waited a long time for, so I tried not to dwell too heavily on retiring. There were too many positives to take away from the weekend so that's what I did. On a personal level I was quite happy with my pace and how I translated everything I'd learned at the tests into a race weekend context. I know the team were disappointed with the problem that ended my race but it's all about looking forward and there's so much more to come.

"My first night race will be pretty special! Generally though, I think the weekend here will be a lot smoother and I've got some really good experience to draw on in every area. Most of all, I can't wait to see the chequered flag!"

Dave Ryan, racing director

"We came away from Melbourne feeling a little disappointed, no two ways about it. The drivers did a great job and there's a lot of potential in the car but we need to do a better job of bringing everything together when it counts. I'm sure every team can say the same as it's only the beginning but I'm expecting us to make improvements in every area this weekend.

"This race [Bahrain] always throws up a few surprises doesn't it? It's a bit of a moving feast to be honest, especially when you consider the weather we've seen here in the past few days. Rain is less of a factor, as it evaporates so quickly, but the wind can be a distraction for the drivers and the pit wall. Track conditions can vary significantly from the afternoon practice sessions to the twilight timing of qualifying and the race. So there's a lot for the engineers and drivers to get their head around in order to make the right strategic calls."

Sauber

Marcus Ericsson

“The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first night race of the season. I especially enjoy the surroundings under the floodlights, which looks pretty nice on TV. I know the track well from my previous two seasons in Formula 1, but also from GP2, as I have been there many times. Last year I put in a good performance as well as having a strong race. I was going for points, which did not work out in the end due to other circumstances. However, I will take that positive feeling from last year’s race weekend with me.”

Felipe Nasr

“The Bahrain Grand Prix is a special race weekend for me. Having Lebanese roots from my grandfather, I have always liked being in the Middle East. For me as a driver it is nice to not only get huge support from Brazil, but also from where we are. The track itself is great fun to drive and to race at night makes the event even more special.”

Williams

Felipe Massa

“Bahrain is definitely a place I really enjoy racing. I’ve won twice there and I’ve had many other good results. I always enjoy going there, including many times for testing. I like the people as well as the place in general and I look forward to having a good race there. It’s the second race of the season now and I really hope we can have another fantastic result in a place I enjoy.”

Valtteri Bottas

“The Bahrain evening race is a really nice one. I prefer it much more as an evening race. The track looks good and is just as nice to drive. It’s a good track for racing and I got a decent result last year. It’s quite a different kind of track to Melbourne, so it’s going to be interesting to see where we are compared to the others; because it’s more like a standard race track rather than the Melbourne street circuit. It will still only be the second race of the season, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Pat Symonds, Chief Technical Officer

“The Bahrain International Circuit is quite tough in all respects. It’s important to have good high-speed balance in the car and look after the rear tyres in particular. We will see much hotter conditions, and there is always a concern over wind and sand, which was a real factor in the early part of the weekend last year. Following the cooler Australian conditions, we will now see how our cooling systems stand up in the heat and what impact opening up these systems has on aerodynamic performance. The tyre choice shows a bit of variation as well with Ferrari and ourselves appearing to be going down a different route to Mercedes, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out over the weekend.”

McLaren

Fernando Alonso

“Firstly, I’m very pleased to be heading to Bahrain after the crash in Australia. I’ve spent some time resting and I can’t wait to get back in the car. Although on paper Melbourne wasn’t a great race for us, before the crash I’d been having some good battles and the car felt pretty promising, so I hope in Bahrain we can experience more of the same.

“There’s also been a massive effort from the teams in Woking and Sakura, who have been flat-out manufacturing parts for this race to ensure we can get back up to speed after the chassis was damaged, and I’m hugely impressed with how quickly they’ve managed to turn it around. We’re still pushing to bring upgrades to each race, so providing we can get everything to the car in time we’ll be aiming to get as much track time as possible with the new chassis from the start of free practice.

“Living in Dubai, I’m used to the climate in the Middle East, and racing in different temperatures over the weekend, as well as managing the car’s performance over a long race distance in tough conditions, brings another level to the challenge for the drivers. I’m looking forward to seeing what our package is capable of at what has previously been a pretty challenging circuit for us.

“I really enjoy racing in Bahrain. It’s been a good circuit for me in the past – I’ve had three victories there – and there are quite a few good opportunities to overtake. There are lots of variables to think about and it’s one of the longest races, which usually produces some kind of drama. Hopefully we can enjoy some close racing and keep ourselves out of trouble.”

Jenson Button

“Bahrain is a fun track to drive on and very different from Albert Park in its configuration. It’s tough on brakes and fuel, and good balance is key to putting together a lap, as you need downforce on the long, fast straights and then stability and traction through the lower-speed corners. It’s a more extreme version of Australia in many ways, with the track starting off very dirty and rubbering in over the weekend. While that makes the track faster, we also have to juggle the rapidly cooling temperatures on race day after the sun sets.

“I’m really keen to get back behind the wheel, as, although it didn’t show in our results from Australia, our package felt very good to drive and the team worked really hard to bring a step forward in driveability from testing to the first race. Bahrain is definitely a tricky track for us as it’s high-speed, but we have a solid platform and improved deployment, so there are some positives to look forward to.

“We made a couple of misjudgements on the strategy side in Melbourne, but it’s all part of the learning curve with the new tyre compound rules. Together with the engineers we’ve studied the data and hopefully we can make some good calls in Bahrain, pull together the various stages of the race and achieve a more representative result.

“The landscape of racing in the desert after sunset is always really special and brings a new dimension to the spectacle. Everything in Bahrain is always very slick and it’s an impressive place to be. My win there in 2009 is still a great memory and the wide track and run-off areas mean it’s a fun circuit on which to battle. I hope we can mix it with the midfield pack – it’s a very competitive area of the field – so we’ll be pushing hard to get the maximum from our package as soon as we can.”

Eric Boullier, Racing Director

“The race in Australia was certainly an eventful one for McLaren-Honda. First of all, I was very happy to see Fernando walk away after such a heart-stopping incident. In addition, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our McLaren and Honda employees for the incredible efforts going on behind the scenes to get the spare chassis built and ready to race next weekend. It’s a truly remarkable achievement in between flyaway races, and a testament to our incredibly strong teamwork.

“We’re certainly hoping for a less dramatic race in Bahrain, and will be aiming to build on the promising initial data we’ve collected from our car, which shows a definite improvement in pace from last year’s package. There’s still much more potential to unlock and performance to find, but the encouraging leap made from testing to Melbourne has shown what’s possible, and we will keep pushing to improve our pace and develop our strengths by continuing to bring updates to the car at every race.

“The Bahrain Grand Prix has become something of a home race for us, and we’re very proud to be racing in front of our shareholders and enthusiastic fans. The spectacle of the Bahrain International Circuit is something very special. Racing under floodlights always creates a unique atmosphere and the fans get to enjoy action on track in completely different settings over the course of the weekend. For the engineers, it’s a battle to juggle many different constraints – temperatures, track surfaces, brake wear, tyres, fuel consumption – and we’ve already learned a lot about how our car performs in different conditions from Melbourne, which we’ll be putting to good use. In Bahrain we’ll be looking to discover our true pace and put our package to work in the tough desert conditions.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer

"After a chaotic Australian weekend, we head off to our first night race of the season in Bahrain.

“We have recovered the power unit from Fernando’s car used in Melbourne. After initial investigations, we are massively disappointed that the ICE and most of the surrounding parts have been heavily damaged, as the impact from the accident was just too great. We will be replacing the complete power unit in Bahrain.

“Looking forward, Bahrain’s sunny and dry weather will hopefully ensure that we have plenty of clean running. The circuit’s two long front and back straights will be strenuous on the power units, so we will make the most of the practice sessions to set up the car. It’s evident that we still need to increase our performance, but thankfully we were able to learn more about where we are and how to progress from the data collected in Melbourne.”

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton

I'm excited at the thought of more races like Melbourne. There are going to be weekends where we're a few seconds up the road from Ferrari, races where it's wheel to wheel and races where they might be ahead. We really don't know - and that's exciting. I have a good feeling about my pace. I was ahead all weekend until the race start last time out, so I'm confident heading to Bahrain. It's been entertaining on track for the past two seasons there, so more of the same would be great! There's been a lot of talk about the rules and whether the drivers should be more involved in decision making. It's not our job to come up with ideas and we all have different opinions anyway. But personally, I think we need more mechanical grip and less aero wake coming off the back of the cars so we can get close and overtake. Give us five seconds' worth of lap time from aero and nothing will change - we'll just be driving faster. I speak as somebody who loves this sport and loves racing. I don't have all the answers - but I know that the changes we're making won't deliver better racing."

Nico Rosberg

"We've stepped up our game once again with a fantastic car. But Ferrari were a real threat all weekend in Melbourne and it's clear that we've got a big battle on our hands, so we have to keep pushing very hard. The new radio rules make things quite a big challenge. It's tough out there - and for me it's a good direction we've taken, giving the drivers more responsibility. The important thing is whether it's what the fans want to see, so we need to listen to them. It's Bahrain next - a track which always seems to provide entertainment for me! I've had some great battles there in the last two years with Lewis and also the Ferraris, so I'm expecting more of the same this time and very much looking forward to that. It was great to win the first race - but the aim is to come out on top at every step of the way this season, starting this weekend. There's a long way to go..."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"We have made a solid start to the season. However, while our advantage in Melbourne was a healthy one, it was nevertheless close enough that those bad starts could easily have lost us the race. Bahrain is a track that should suit Ferrari, so we expect even smaller gaps and a very close match this weekend. After a successful debut for the new tyre regulations last time out, we can also expect an interesting strategy battle during the race - so there is plenty to look forward to. This weekend we will see the new qualifying system continue after a less-than-impressive debut in Australia. The teams were unanimous in their opinion of it on Sunday in Melbourne and it wasn't a positive opinion. We haven't found the right format with this change and it's hard to see how it might be more entertaining for the fans this weekend in Bahrain. The sport is under scrutiny on this matter, so careful thought is required in order to make coordinated, intelligent steps forward from the position we are in right now. The fans want close racing, in a format they can understand, between the best drivers and cars in the world - in that order. We should be capable of delivering that to the people in the grandstands and watching around the world."

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)

"Bahrain is quite a different track to Melbourne, so it will be interesting to see how we fare. One thing you can normally guarantee is that it will be dry. Unlike the rain-hit Melbourne weekend, this will provide plenty of opportunity for track time. Thanks to their evening timings, qualifying and the race in Bahrain see much cooler track temperatures than the mid-afternoon FP1 / FP3 sessions - making the latter somewhat unrepresentative. This potentially makes tyre selection even more of a factor. We know already that there is a marked difference between the allocations selected by competing teams for this race, so we could see a few surprises. A big positive from Melbourne was seeing how well the new tyre rules delivered in terms of strategy variation - and we expect to see more of the same here. We've seen close battles throughout the field in both years of twilight racing in Bahrain, so we look forward to hopefully providing another spectacular evening for the fans."

Force India

Nico Hulkenberg

“Next up is Bahrain, which is a special place. As a circuit, it's very different to Melbourne: it's not bumpy at all; it's very smooth and it's full of slow corners. There are a several overtaking spots and the whole track, with long straights and big braking zones, makes for some great wheel-to-wheel racing. It's a track that rewards attacking, so hopefully we will see lots of action in the race. And of course, it's a night race so the atmosphere of the whole event is very different!

“One of my favourite things about Bahrain is the paddock. It looks like it’s straight out of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, with the lights and buildings all adding to the atmosphere. It's one of my favourite events of the season. We will arrive there in a good place and we have the potential to get another strong result.”

Sergio Perez

“Australia didn't bring the result I was hoping for so I am targeting a better outcome from Bahrain. Getting a bad start really compromised my race last time out because I got stuck in the middle of cars on different strategies and I couldn't recover. However, it’s a long season and I have an opportunity to get back in the points in Bahrain.

“The racing is never boring in Bahrain so fans should enjoy some good entertainment. There are long straights and sharp braking zones so it's great for overtaking, but the big tractions zones make this a tough track for the rear tyres. I think tyre degradation will be a key factor in the outcome of this race. The track evolves a lot as the race goes on, as the cars sweep away all the sand and dust that the wind has blown onto the track.

“I have some very good memories from Bahrain - the race in 2014 was just fantastic when I celebrated my first podium with the team. I am confident we can be strong again this year and get back all the points I missed in Australia. Even in Melbourne, there were lots of positives we can build on, such as our strong qualifying speed and race pace. The team is doing a great job back at the factory and we should have some interesting new bits on the car, too, so I am feeling confident.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal

“On paper Bahrain should be a strong track for us so I’m optimistic we can deliver a similar level of performance to that which we showed in Melbourne. We will have some new aerodynamic developments, which will add some performance to the front of the car, so we will work hard to optimise those during the weekend.”

Toro Rosso

Carlos Sainz

“Turn 1 is very tight at the start, meaning that a lot of cars need to fit in a small space. I remember having a tough moment through Turns 1 and 2 at the start last year, with a lot of cars bunching up. The race takes place at night, so your braking points change during the weekend and you take your references from FP2. I remember Turn 6 being difficult all weekend, suffering a lot from understeer because of the wind always changing the balance of the car.

“Turns 9 and 10 are the most difficult corners, not only of this track but also of the season, because it’s a double apex and you brake through the whole area, making it easy to front-lock a lot. You will always be able to see the marks of the tyres in that braking zone. I also remember Turn 12 being a challenge because it’s always on the limit – you can go flat there one lap if the wind is okay, but then you try to do the same the following lap and it’s impossible because of the wind… It’s tricky, but it gives the driver a lot of pleasure when you manage to do it well!

“Finally, at the last corner you have to make sure you get a good exit. Last year we struggled a bit with top speed, so it was all about getting a lot of traction out of there – I remember this straight being a bit too long for us… Maybe no longer that much this year!”

Max Verstappen

“The Bahrain circuit has a very long straight – too long last year! – and they overtook me quite a few times there in 2015… It's not a nice feeling and inside your head you're talking to yourself and saying “c'mon, c'mon!”; it's frustrating, but there's not much more you can do when another car is quicker than you.

“I also remember a lot of national flags on the left after the first three turns. I first saw them during the track walk, but then I sometimes also had time to see them while driving. Turns 5, 6 and 7 were a bit tough to get right when it was dark as the braking points change, but it's still a nice part of the track as I always enjoy the fast corners.

“Turns 9 and 10 were quite difficult for the front-locking and it's easy to flat-spot your tyres there – something you don't want to do during a race! In general, it's special to race in the evening, while it's getting dark. Hopefully this year we will score some points there, because Toro Rosso has never scored any in Bahrain! So this is definitely a good target that I will be looking to achieve.”

Haas

Romain Grosjean

“Bahrain is not a circuit that looks very technical from a paper point of view, but I love driving it every year. It’s a big straight into turn one. Big braking and a tricky exit to turn two, and then you head up the hill approaching turn four. It’s got tricky braking with long lateral g’s and acceleration going into the high speed section of (turns) five, six and seven. The wind can have a big influence at those corners. Then you have the hairpin down the hill, going up against (turns) nine and 10 where you can easily have some front-locking because there’s a lot of g’s there under braking. Then the back straight takes you to turn 11, an uphill corner, then turn 12 where it can be flat out if you’ve got a really good car. Tricky braking into turn 13 because you’re coming from a high-speed corner. You really want to go early on the power to go down to turn 14, which is the last corner, again big braking before accelerating to cross the start-finish line.

“We need to get more running. We need to get more mileage and further our understanding of the car. We have a long list of things we want to try and do, and things to improve. It’s a lot of work but, on the other hand, it means we can improve the car by a big chunk. I always like to keep things positive. If we can do a lot of that in Bahrain, the car will improve and that means we can keep working on better results.”

Esteban Gutierrez

“I think, in general, we can go to Bahrain making our next step forward as a team. In both organization and communication there has not been much time for the team to breath because of the hard work in building the car and testing in Barcelona and then the first Grand Prix. Hopefully, we can consolidate things and get everything done and try to make the best of our potential.

“It’s quite impressive that even though we have not been able to experiment a lot, we have a very good base line. So, I’m really looking forward to get to know more of the car to experiment more and really work on the best direction for our setup. Bahrain will help us a lot to get more consistent running, more laps in practice and hopefully a smooth weekend.”

Guenther Steiner, team principal

“I think our plan is working, but we won’t finish sixth every weekend, so we need to be careful with our expectations. I think we showed that you can start a new team and end up in the midfield. We were not last in Australia, which was one of our goals, and I don’t think we will be last this year. How far we’ve come is a sign that our plan is working.

“We are not being arrogant about our early success and we will have our races where we will underperform. Our sixth-place finish in Australia keeps the team going, working very hard and trying to do the best possible job we can. If we continue to do what we did in Melbourne, good results will come.”

Renault

Jolyon Palmer

“I raced there in GP2 and it’s a track I have been successful on in the past. I won the last race I did there, then I also had a podium. I also drove in practice last year. The track is OK. There are a lot of straights so plenty of overtaking opportunities, so we will find out more about the car in this trim. There is a lot of track evolution as it is very sandy at the start of weekend, and then the track gets more and more rubber down, so conditions change a lot. The weather is almost always sunny, but it can be quite windy, which can blow sand onto the track. The fact it’s a night race is pretty interesting as it’s still very dry. In terms of set up, practice 1 and 3 are hard as they are a lot hotter than the race but there is a lot we can do in procedural terms, such as aero tests. I will be more relaxed now I have one race under my belt, particularly as I finished all 58 laps. I feel much more comfortable after pre-season testing and am looking forward to going to a track I know and have won at before.”

Kevin Magnussen

“It’s not the most exciting track, to be honest! The heat is a major challenge and it is tough on the rear tyres so having a car that looks after them will be an advantage. There are also four long straights so it is a power orientated track. I will enjoy getting out there and if you ask me if the race could be tomorrow I’d be there, no questions asked!”

Bob Bell, chief technical officer

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything at Barcelona or Melbourne that is worrying. Barcelona is pretty indicative of standard aero levels and mechanical grip so we haven’t seen anything that concerns us for the major tracks. Naturally we would like to repeat the form we saw in Australia, and maybe sneak into the tail end of the points if we can. We also brought a prototype front wing to Melbourne that Kevin used and it appears to have lived up to expectations. It will be on both cars in Bahrain.”

Red Bull

Daniil Kvyat

“I like the weather in Bahrain and the track is good. It might look like a simple, modern track but actually it’s very challenging to put a strong lap together. I like that Bahrain is a night race, it gives it some passion! And night racing feels like you are going into space!

“The races in Bahrain are good, there is a long main straight and good overtaking opportunity after Turn 1. Then there is the tow again to Turn 4, so there are good opportunities to race. This is where most of the racing happens in Turn 1, Turn 2, and Turn 4 and maybe Turn 8 as well sometimes.

“To me, this track has been OK, last year there were a few issues, but in the race it was fine. I had an OK race there when I was at STR as well. There is a long straight which was our weakness last year but this year we are looking to find some improvements so it could turn out to be quite a competitive track for us. If we can grab a few good points for both cars, that would be great.”

Daniel Ricciardo

“I think the track’s always been pretty fun to race on, I feel I’ve always had good results at this track, and there are good places for overtaking. Since it’s been a night race it’s become a lot more exciting. The tyres last a bit longer and you can push a bit harder throughout the race so it’s been a good challenge the last few years and a place I’ve always enjoyed. There’s not really one standout corner that’s like ‘woah’ but it’s all pretty cool and the middle sector is quite fun. Night races are fun, for whatever reason it feels like you go a bit faster at night, so it’s exciting. If every race was a night race it wouldn’t have that same atmosphere so it’s cool that we have a few across the year.

“The track is good for overtaking, the last corner flows quite well and if you can get close for DRS you can get a good run into Turn 1. If you don’t get it into Turn 1, then there’s Turn 4 or the middle sectors where it’s easy to make mistakes. There’s probably four places you can pass on the track which is pretty good. The track does suit us, the last couple of years we’ve had a pretty good result, so hopefully we can continue that this year as well.”

Source : Formula1 website, FIA media kit & preview, Teams & pirelli/ brembo previews.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, jfxavier!

Love night races - this one is at 2030 hours IST .

The first 3 races give a better picture of which team stands where in terms of speed. That's what I'm looking forward to gauging.

Hope Ferrari is close to Mercedes in race pace . Also looking forward to a war between Hamilton & Rosberg.

Wishing a speedy recovery to Alonso. He will be missed this weekend.

[Fullrevs]

Really sad to know that Alonso will miss this GP. He has always performed well here and it seems the Mclaren this year has some bite. It was going all so well for them until Alonso had that freakish accident. Hope his CT scans are good before the Chinese GP.

Interesting to note the different compounds that Ferrari and Mercedes have chosen for this GP. Mercedes seems to have gone for the softer option.

[Hatari]

Legendary. Here's what happens when average drivers start giving 'advice' to the great ones.
Alonso after Johnny Herbert said the Spaniard was past his best, lacking motivation and needed to hang up his boots.

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video...alonso-verdict

Herbert: "Are you retiring?"

Nando: "No, I'm a world champion - you became a commentator because you were not a Champion."

[johannskaria]

Night races are always extra exciting!
Wishing for a points finish for Renault.
Want to see the yellow livery team back on podium soon!

[rohitoasis]

The TV live broadcast seems to be deferred because website update came before the TV. Did you guys notice that?

What a lap by Hamilton. Beats the best lap at Sakhir beating Webber.

[a*ed]

Vettel out of the race on the formation lap due to an engine failure.

[asr245]

Booooooring is what is would call it.

This is getting really really boring. There really hasn't been a season worth watching since 2010 (maybe 2012). To top of it, this qualifying this is really really

If this was to go behind pay TV, i would quit watching it. As it is, it is getting hard to maintain interest.

[deetjohn]

Two blown Ferrari engines in two races is really really bad. Fresh engines giving up in this era of high mileage Power Units is a big set back. Some component is at fault. SF needs to get to the bottom of this soon.

The race then. Nico had a wonderful start from the dirty side of the track after we had the red lights for a bit too long. And both Lewis and Kimi bottled theirs. Its a shame because Kimi looked like he is very comfortable with the car.

I really like the new tyre rule - three dry compounds. It helps to mix the field up a lot during the race. But this race was a bit of a bore once the second pit stops were done.

And well done Haas! They are really going places. Amazing stuff!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by asr245

Booooooring is what is would call it.

The first half of the race was nice. Lots of action & overtaking. But yes, in the 2nd half, I was watching more of the cricket finals than F1 (was switching between the two). The fight at the front fizzled out because of Hamilton's crash & Vettel's failure. Fingers crossed, things will be better when all 4 are running .

[gtonsing]

Generally, I think F1 is dying. 4:15 pm IST now on a monday afternoon post race and just 1 page of comments - thats including the introduction.
I was in and out of this race but it looks like I did not miss much. Sad to see my sentimental (because of the name) SFI not even comparable to their performance last year.
Mercedes leading and leading with apparently no one even getting close and that too, this early in the season, looks like a boring year.
Some tyre rules and/or some other changes needs to be made to level out the playing field IMHO

[Aditya]

Nico Rosberg has won the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix for Mercedes. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished in second place, while Rosberg's team mate Lewis Hamilton stood third.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[Knowall]

Certainly not as interesting as last year, but I am liking the new tyre rules which throws up interesting strategies. Unfortunately Ferrari still seem to be 0.5 of a second behind Mercedes to pose a challenge that would make things interesting.

Really great lap by Lewis to break the Circuit Record, that was a welcome surprise.

Toro Rosso and Haas are a doing well and will make for an interesting Mid-Field battle which I keep looking out for but dont seem to find any. Last year there was Williams, Force India and Red Bull and add Toro Rosso with Haas would be a awesome mid field..but sadly not much happening until now. Williams, Force India are certainly struggling.

Just to make things more interesting iv entered a Fantasy league GP, this year.

[MadiMaama]

Great job by Vandoorne, Grosjean and KMag. Extracted th ebest out of their cars and Vandoorne just showed why he deserves the Macca drive next year